Effects of Difficult Coworkers on Employees’ Responses in Macao’s Public Organizations—The Mediating Role of Perceived Stress

Abstract

Difficult coworkers can be found in almost every workplace, including public and private organizations. This paper investigates the effects of difficult coworkers on employees’ responses including intention to leave and mental health through attitude towards difficult coworkers and perceived stress in public organizations. Data were collected from 307 public sector employees in Macao SAR, China. Results of partial least squares–structural equation modeling indicated that difficult coworkers significantly influenced their coworkers’ attitude towards them. Additionally, perceived stress partially mediated the relationship between employees’ attitudes towards difficult coworkers and intention to leave, while employees’ attitudes towards difficult coworkers did not have a significant effect on mental health. The study’s findings shed light on how difficult coworkers impacted employees’ attitudes, perceptions, and responses in Chinese public organizations.

Impact of difficult coworkers on employees' turnover intention: the mediating roles of perceived organizational support and affective commitment

“…One sexual harassment item “The person harasses people sexually” had a mean score of 3.07 (SD = 1.964) that was significantly lower than the mid-point at 4.0 ( p < 0.01). The findings were similar to what To and Yu (2022) reported in Macao's public organizations and confirmed that difficult coworkers existed in many workplaces. Results of PLS-SEM indicated that difficult coworkers were characterized by bossiness, followed by unprofessional behavior and busybody.…”

“…Yu and reported that attitude toward difficult coworkers in the form of encountering attitude directly influenced turnover intention. To and Yu (2022) found that attitude toward difficult coworkers influenced turnover intention directly and indirectly through perceived stress. Thus, we hypothesize:…”

“…Thus, Hahn et al (1994) developed the Difficult Doctor-Patient Relationship Questionnaire to measure physicians' general subjective attitude and encountering attitude toward difficult patients. Following Hahn et al (1994)'s framework, To and Yu (2022) established a two-factor second-order factor structure for employees' attitude toward difficult coworkers. Using responses from public sector employees, To and Yu (2022) found that difficult coworkers significantly influenced employees' attitude toward them.…”

“…Following Hahn et al (1994)'s framework, To and Yu (2022) established a two-factor second-order factor structure for employees' attitude toward difficult coworkers. Using responses from public sector employees, To and Yu (2022) found that difficult coworkers significantly influenced employees' attitude toward them. Thus, we posit: H1.…”

The Holistic Model of Labour Retention: The Impact of Workplace Wellbeing Factors on Employee Retention

“…Experts studying the subject agree that good employee relationships contribute to long-term employee engagement, so employers should strive to build a supportive and cohesive workplace community (Alexander et al 1998;Zayed et al 2022). In order to retain employees, the issue of team integration should also be an important consideration during selection, as conflicts arising from the different personalities of employees can lead to the deterioration of employee relations (Allen 2006;Shouman et al 2022;To and Yu 2022;Szentgróti and Tapolczai 2011). If the relationship between direct colleagues is inadequate or there is a conflict, there may be a rivalry in the workplace, which not only negatively affects the quality of work, but may even result in the loss of talented employees (Glew 2012).…”